Alves and Cole stretch for the ball in a battle of full backsNick Potts/PA

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Mikel beats Fabregas to the ballJohn Sibley/Action Images

Last updated at 7:13PM, April 18 2012

On planet football, perfection can take different forms. In producing the
perfect performance that Roberto Di Matteo demanded last night to take them
to within 90 minutes of the Champions League final, Chelsea demonstrated
that sometimes, just sometimes, sheer will can overcome even the most
fearsome skill.

At a raucous, wet and windswept Stamford Bridge, this was a triumph of guts,
determination and spirit for Chelsea against a Barcelona team who passed and
passed but could not bring the house down. It was one-way traffic, but Xavi
Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi ran into roadblocks in the
uncompromising, unrelenting